If you use propane to heat your home there is nothing worse than suddenly realising you've run out of gas mid-winter. If you live in a remote location or on a houseboat, as I did, replacement tanks can take several days to arrive, which is a huge pain if you depend on propane for heating and cooking! Also, if you're out of gas your pipes could freeze, causing flood damage or worse - your houseboat to sink!

As a houseboat dweller, I actually remember having to regularly go out on deck to tip or pick up the cylinders to gauge how full they were (there's a huge weight difference between an empty and full tank). Not very scientific!

TheTank Utility enables home (and houseboat) owners to remotely monitor propane tanks. If it goes into production, it will cost around $200. Once attached, the device will connect via wi-fi and relay information back to a smartphone. Alerts will be sent if gas level become low so that a replacement tank can be ordered well in advance and it will also send a notification if the device's battery needs replacing, or if there is a gas leak. The Tank Utility can operate in temperatures as low as -20°. Another really useful feature is that it will provide diagnostic information about gas consumption trends and energy efficiency.

We've already featured a smart home monitoring device, called Notion, that can, among other things, monitor the level of propane in your BBQ's gas cylinder but the Tank Utility is the only dedicated device for monitoring propane tanks.

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